Willow Springs and Woods Canyon Lake 5.20

This past few weeks, I had the chance of going to a few lakes nearby Payson. And boy, I was missing out before that. The first day I headed to Willow Springs Lake and the second day I headed to the nearby Woods Canyon Lake. I loved it... not only because of the great weather but because of how different the wildlife was, compared to the usual desert life. From north american rarities to woodland classics... the birds never ceased to amaze me. Putting that aside, I think I'll start off with Willow Springs Lake, a beautiful lake nestled right between Payson and Overgaard. I started the day bright and early... waking up at 3:30 so that we can arrive there right and dawn. Not only is this the best time for birdwatching but also for fishing. The drive was the usual, we parked and the moment I stepped out of the car I heard an array of birds pouring out their hearts. As I headed near the shore there was a male HOUSE WREN singing to the top of his little lungs. He was protecting his territory as nesting season was on its way. Speaking of nesting season his female was waiting for him in a nearby trunk where they nestled in a crack. As my friend set up my fishing gear I headed on a nearby path to check out the pines for any warblers. As I was searching I was accompanied with several DARK-EYED JUNCOS and a few YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. I also saw several flocks of VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS swooping near the water in search of any insects to take back to their nests. A little bit further on the path I saw a few SPOTTED SANDPIPERS and there was one calling alarm calls on a stump... he probably had a nest nearby so I didn't disturb. Nearby I heard the rambunctious STELLER'S JAYS which are a common resident. I headed a little bit more and I saw a few warblers picking at the bundles of pine needles in the pines above. I took a shot to identify the bird and it was a flock of three to five GRACE'S WARBLERS. A little bit of backstory behind these birds and there name: the Grace's Warbler was named after Grace Darling Coues, who was the sister of ornithologist Elliot Coues. His colleague, Spencer Fullerton who wrote the scientific description on the species named the bird in her honor. Anyways back to the trip, I headed back to my fishing seat and took a little break and I headed back on the trail a little after. This time I searched around a grove of pines from where I heard a cracking noise. As I got closer I noticed pieces of the pine cones were falling off. Now pine cones do fall and that was normal for me... but they weren't whole, they were in pieces. So who was the culprit behind this. A squirrel? A bird? A lifer? It turns out it was all three! There were birds and a squirrel munching away on the pine cones' seeds. Those birds were actually RED CROSSBILLS, who are specialized in dining on the seeds. They have a weird looking crossed bill that is perfect in eating and cracking pine cones and nuts for their yummy seeds. I was able to snap a few shots but they weren't the best as the crossbills were high up in the trees and covered by the pine needles. As I headed further into the hike I saw a flock of PINE SISKINS and LESSER GOLDFINCHES. These fellas are built for munching on seeds as well, and siskins are perfect for dining on them with their sharp beak. As I neared the end of the trail, I decided to venture further and cross a patch of woods to go to the other side of the lake. There is no parking there, only on the left side but its a short walk to head to the other side. Check out the map in the photo section below to see... Willow Springs Lake is U shaped and that's why. Anyways... as I crossed I saw a few more warblers and an AMERICAN ROBIN. I also saw a few PLUMBEOUS VIREOS and a couple of WESTERN TANAGERS. As I arrived to the other side I scanned the water for any waterfowl. I only saw a single male COMMON MERGANSER and a MEXICAN DUCK. At least I'm thinking that's what it is. It had a slight curl in the tail feathers which could point to Mallard genes but I'll just have to wait and see what others say. As I finsihed birding on the other side, it concluded most of the species and birding for the day, I headed back to the car and headed back home. Check out the next part below for my second day up in Payson where I birded at Woods Canyon Lake. 

House Wren

Dark-Eyed Junco

Plumbeous Vireo

Western Tanager

Mexican Duck (I think)

Pine Siskin

Red Crossbill

Violet-Green Swallow

Spotted Sandpiper

Steller's Jay

Grace's Warbler

Common Buckeye

American Robin

Common Merganser

Map

So now this is the part on my second day up in Payson about a week after my trip to Willow Springs Lake. This time I birded at the nearby Woods Canyon Lake in hope of finding the az specialty... the Red-Faced Warbler. Follow along my journey by reading this:) enjoy. As I got out of the car the firts thing I heard was a loud phew call. It kept on repeating and repeating until I finnally found the culprit. It was a Dusky Flycatcher. Wait no... it wasn't. After asking some nearby birders and researching the bird it turned out to be a CORDILLERAN FLYCATCHER. Flycatchers can be difficult to id especially when you don't have too good a view of the bird, in my case I was lucky it perched and allowed me to take a few shots. As I looked at the map I decided to head on the meadow trail (which was the most extensive of them all.) It passed through a few campgrounds and it went through different scenery so I decided that was the best for me. I started off near the restrooms and I got on the trail. Immediately I heard and saw an array of woodland species. VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS were flying high in the air, STELLER'S JAYS were fussing around over some nuts, and some DARK-EYED JUNCOS were foraging on the ground. Not only were the birds but I saw two different types of rodents, the golden-mantled ground squirrel and the cliff chimpunk. Needless to say, I'm more of a bird type of guy but these guys are cute in their own kind of way. Anyways I walked and birded some more on the meadow trail and some more species popped up, like a few NORTHERN FLICKERS and a couple of HOUSE WRENS. I also saw a BROWN CREEPER hopping from tree to tree, but as I was studying a flock of GRACE'S WARBLERS, I some movement in the surrounding pines. These birds didn't have the bright yellow color of the Grace's Warbler or the red of the Red-faced Warbler, instead they had a bright orange (weird, right?) Well as I got a closer look, it turned out out be the first rarity of the day. A few pines away, there was a flock of about three OLIVE WARBLERS. Now, this was a surprise, as I was not expecting to see these guys. They are much less common then the red-faced warbler and they're considered an az specialty. Birders across America flock to Arizona to see these rarities, and I just saw them... unexpectedly. As I shook the shock away I headed back on the trail, I stopped by the first campground and looked around. I saw some AMERICAN ROBINS, and a new thrush for me, the SWAINSON'S THRUSH. With help from a friend we distinguished it from the close Hermit Thrush from its grayer tail. After birding along that campground I decided to head back to the lake. I ended up empty-handed (regarding the red-faced warbler,) but I still saw some cool new birds. But.... I was to be proven wrong. Right near my car, I heard the beautiful song of the red-faced warbler. I immediately knew that was it, I studied and studied the behaviors, songs, and calls of this bird and it all paid off. I searched for a few minutes and found him singing away on a pine branch. I couldn't believe the RED-FACED WARBLER was right in front of my eyes. As I departed from this beauty (it was so hard too lol) I got back to the lake and scanned the shore, just the usual raptors... OSPREY and TURKEY VULTURES. No waterfowl and no other swallows other than the violet-green. I stayed there for a bit and once it became warmer I decided to head back home. But that changed, as I decided to stop by the nearby fish hatchery and creek in search of the American Dipper and Painted Redstart. That little bit can be found after these photos.

Cordilleran Flycatcher

Steller's Jay

Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel

Cliff Chimpunk

House Wren

Olive Warbler

Swainson's Thrush

Brown Creeper

Red-Faced Warbler

Well this is the little extra... if you've stuck along this whole thing you already know how great this place is. And this place that I headed too after is supposed to be just as good, and I believe that, but I didn't really get much out of here. I visited the Tonto Creek Fish Hatchery and the nearby Horton and Tonto Creek. I was hoping for some looks at the American Dipper, Painted Redstart, and Mexican Jay, but I returned empty-handed. All I saw was some HOUSE WRENS, a STELLER'S JAY, and AMERICAN ROBIN. And I also saw my first Arizona Mountain Kingsnake which is a really cool reptile. It was just minding its own business while I was snapping some shots. After seeing how low the bird count was I didn't bother staying longer. So I got back in the car and headed home. Well this concludes my trip up north for this week at least and if any of you have any questions on directions or access just let me know in the comments below or shoot me a direct message on my instagram: @mstremciuc.photo 

American Robin

Arizona Mountain Kingsnake